Buddhism gradually assimilated into the Chinese culture, but reached its peak roughly between 300 and 800 C.E. Its popularity truly began after the collapse of the Han dynasty around 200 C.E. Due to the chaos and violence in China; it discredited Confucianism and led the Chinese to see Buddhism as hope. However, not all Chinese agreed with the idea of Buddhism and were strongly against its practice and presence in China. Documents 2 and 3 were supportive of the religion, while documents 4 and 6 opposed it. Although documents 1 and 5 described Buddhism, it remained neutral in the controversy while it gave a reliable view on the religion. Even though these documents were helpful on understanding the different viewpoints on Buddhism around that time, it would be also beneficial to use a document from a female’s perspective. Documents 2 and 3 both viewed the increasing popularity of Buddhism in China to be positive. Document 2 briefly explained the many benefits of joining Buddhism, but its author, Zhi Dun, is an unreliable source. Zhi Dun was a Chinese scholar, indicating that he lived in an upper class life and may not have understood the struggles of the lower classes in China. In addition, Zhi …show more content…
Author of document 4, Han Yu a Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial court, states that Buddhism does not understand the culture and traditions of China such as the social relationships. In document 6, Tang Emperor Wu was strongly unsupportive of Buddhism by explaining the aftereffects it may cause if everyone flocks to the religion and abandon their position in society. The position of Emperor Wu may have been influenced by the increase of rebellions. It may have also been that he felt threatened by the religion. Buddhism scoffs at the idea of power and sees it as an obstacle to enrichment, and Emperor Wu needs power in order to maintain his position in the